My Misery Business
by KHwhitelion
Summary: JD wasn't the only student craving his mentor's attention. JD x Denise/Jo, mentioned JD x Elliot


**Before anyone gives me any grief, let me point out that there are other fics out there that revolve around certain crack pairings. I just happen to be the first to write about this particular one. I'm not sure what it is, but I really like JD x Denise (Jo.) Even if it's one-sided. After watching them interact for a few episods, I decided I liked them paired together. It's a bit like Elliot x Keith, which I also liked; Denise is more like a dude and JD more like a chick. Besides, this isn't the first mentorxstudent Scrubs couple I've seen—the only difference is, this one isn't slash.**

**And I have nothing against Elliot. I mean, I do like her paired with JD but she isn't my favorite character. And just because they love each other doesn't mean Denise couldn't have a crush on JD. **

**Anyway, these are a bunch of short-ish drabbles I wrote about them. Some are longer than others.**

**Also, two dotted lines means that the next drabble doesn't continue at all, while one means that they do, but some time has passed.**

**Enjoy! And if you're going to review, please don't flame me!**

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She didn't know when it started—when his antics had actually started to make her laugh….how the way he cared so much touched her heart....how, whenever Doctor Cox insulted him began to piss her off. It wasn't right away, but she knew working as his "mentee" had sparked some sort of affection towards the older man.

All she knew now was that one way or another, she had fallen completely in love with Doctor John Dorian.

And to be honest, it totally sucked.

She had worked so hard to become who she was—what she was. Being hard, cold, and independent. But now….

….but now these feelings of femininity threatened to ruin all that.

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She always enjoyed lunch. A break from work, a time to socialize…..and the one time she could truly admire _him_ without worrying about putting up a front. True, he never came over to her table, but he sat near her, and for that she was thankful…..

….at least….until and if the other interns ever caught her gazing at him with something other than a questioning look.

But that wasn't too likely. Ed was far too lazy to even care about anyone else's business, and Katie was so self-absorbed that she could stand on the table and declare her feelings and the stupid girl would still never notice. As for the others, well, Denise didn't know them nearly enough to know how observant they were, but she didn't really care. As long as he didn't know—at least, for the time being—then she was safe.

Because if he ever knew how she _really_ felt about _him_, the relationship they already had would fall apart. He'd look at her in a whole different light….and things would get considerably awkward if she, he and that Doctor Reid were in the same room. Not only for him, but for her as well. True, she wasn't one to display her feelings often, but she still had them, and it was hard enough keeping herself together when he as around her as it was.

Ed laughed, pointing an accusing finger at Katie. "What seriously? You don't think Doctor Reid knows what you're up to?"

The girl scoffed, crossing her arms. "No. No I don't."

That remark only sent Ed into another fit of giggles. "y-you've got to be kidding me—you don't really think you're that much better than her."

Denise, who had been observing the situation, suddenly interrupted. "Have you seen her, Ed? She really doesn't think there's anything she can learn from Dr. Reid."

Katie Scowled.

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"Don't you think it's sweet how some of the staff have latched on to their protégés?" Carla asked, watching the older and younger doctors interact.

"Yeah….I don't really care—at all." Jordan replied sharply, "in fact, I'm not even sure why you're talking to me."

"Aw come on, don't tell me you've never wanted to mentor someone."

Jordan paused—pretending to be thoughtful—before replying "I tried that, but honestly, most people I meet just don't have what it takes to be the cold hearted bitch that I am." She smiled, laughing at memories Carla could only imagine.

"Well, I guess it's not for everyone." She commented, "But still, I think having someone around that wants to learn from you is just what some of the doctors here need."

Jordan laughed. "Like who?" She asked in between giggles.

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There he was—standing by a patient's bed—intently discussing whatever illness it was said patient had, completely absorbed in his work. She smiled, watching him. He was an….unusual doctor, to say the least. For one thing, he was ridiculously emotional, hell, he acted more like a girl that she did. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, that's probably why they made such a good thing. He was the sensitive, kind hearted doctor who cared about his patient's well-being, while she was the clear headed, independent intern who focused solely on tackling an illness or injury.

The roles may have been reversed, but she wasn't complaining. For though she'd never admit it to anyone, she rather liked JD. He recognized who she was and she felt comfortable being herself around him….even if he did constantly tell her she needed to care more

"JD!" Denise cried, power walking towards him, "you forgot these!" she waved the papers she was holding in the air. He grinned, and she flushed.

"Thanks Jo!" He replied cheerfully, taking them from her when she reached him. "What would I do without you?"

Her face flushed a deeper scarlet. "well you tell me, doc." She retaliated, "after all, I just got here." She flashed him a grin.

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Carla sat, attentive, at the nurse's station, her dark eyes alert as she carefully searched her surroundings for that one, cocky, tough female intern JD referred to as "Jo."

She smiled. True, he'd picked an unusual nickname for her, but Carla knew full-well she didn't really mind. It meant JD paid attention to her, acknowledged her independence. It meant he cared.

But Carla also knew there was something more to it….something deeper. And the first chance she got, she was going to pull this….Jo….aside and have a friendly, but serious talk about it.

"Hey Carla?"

Perfect timing.

"Hey there…."

"Denise. It's Denise." The blond haired girl replied. Carla nodded.

"Denise. Got it. Now, is there something you want?" She asked Denise, eyeing her intently.

"Oh, right—JD….'_Doctor_ Dorian'….sent me down here to pick up some papers regarding mr—"

"Actually, Denise, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Carla interrupted, rising from her chair. The female intern raised an eyebrow.

"Talk? About? With you?" She laughed, obviously not understanding. "Look, Carla….not to offend you or anything, but I don't have time to chit chat right now—can I take a rain check?"

The older woman sighed, walking towards her. "Doctor Dorian will be fine without you for a few minutes—trust me, this is far more important.

Bringing a hand up to her forehead, Denise shook her head. "Look, Carla, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but really, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fi—"

"Please. Do you really expect me to believe that?" She leaned forward, "I've been a nurse for over ten years, Denise. There's not much that happens that I don't see." Her arms folded, a hard, determined look in her dark eyes. The intern sighed, dropping her own arm.

"Maybe so." She said after a moment, "but there's no way you actually believe I'm….I'm…."

"In love with JD?" Carla finished flatly, "you'd better believe it."

Under her breath, Denise swore. She hadn't counted on this. But Carla was responsible….and trustworthy—apparently—so maybe she could reason with her.

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Turk laughed, slapping his best friend on the shoulder. "You know, watching you and Denise really reminds me of you and Doctor Cox." He said, grinning. JD raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked hopefully.

"Absolutely man! I mean have you seen yourselves? You got the whole "mentor student" thing going on, she gets on your nerves but you try to encourage her anyway….but…."

"But?! But what?!"

Turk sighed, though there was laughter behind it. "She's still more manly than your are."

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"Hey Denise, you want to come with me and Katie for pizza after work?" Ed asked, trailing behind her as she headed towards the cafeteria. She shook her head.

"Sorry Ed….I've got plans tonight."

He frowned, crossing his arms. "Plans? What plans? Last time I checked, the only plans you ever have are when you're either on a date or working out."

It was unexpected, but she actually blushed at his comment. "No no, it's nothing like that." She corrected, "I'm actually going to be helping Doctor Dorian with some hospital related work tonight." She stopped then, reaching the door to the Cafeteria. "So thanks, but no thanks."

Ed, too, came to a halt, wearing an expression of confusion and revulsion. "you're doing hospital stuff _after_ your shift ends? Are you crazy?"

She rolled her eyes. "No I'm not. But unlike you, I'm not lazy, and I want to be a _good_ doctor. And helping someone more experienced than I am is a perfect way to do that."

His eyes rolled. "Whatever."

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JD turned to Turk, casting cautious glances at his protégée a few feet away. "Is it just me, or is Jo becoming more and more feminine?"

Turk cocked his head, but shifted his gaze over at the young woman conversing with the other interns. "Yeah, I've noticed that too." He agreed, "Wonder why."

JD shrugged. "I don't know. But it's a little unusual. I mean, I'm used to dealing with this vicious "man-woman." Not….Turk?" He looked at his friend, eyes rolling when he saw the surgeon had tilted his head to the left, lost in some obscure daydream he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.

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She'd seen him cry before—that first patient they worked on together. When he died, he'd had tears in his bright blue eyes. However, for some reason, she knew this time….seeing him sitting hunched, head in hand, in the on call room….that this time around wasn't like that.

"Come on Denise," She mentally encouraged, reaching for the door, "do what JD said and at least _try_ to be emotional."

With a deep breath, she turned the handle and stepped inside. "Um….JD?"

He looked up, and she visibly jumped. His eyes were red and blotchy, and freshly fallen tears were shining on his cheeks. Though her first reaction was to make some callous remark, Denise knew he didn't deserve that.

Instead, she walked forward, sitting down next to him on the bed. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, forcing emotion into her voice. He remained still, moving only to wipe his eyes on his sleeve. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Look…." Denise began, hesitantly lifting her hand to touch his shoulder, "….I know I'm not the most….sensitive person around….but….you can talk to me, you know, if something's bothering you." She tried her best to smile at the older doctor, and to her surprise, he exchanged it with a very small one of his own.

"Wow, what happened to you?" He asked, "when did you get so…."

"feminine?" She laughed, lightly punching his arm with her free hand. "Maybe hanging around you so much has rubbed off on me or something."

It had been over ten minutes, and still JD had yet to confess what had caused him to emotionally collapse like this. And while it was driving her crazy, she knew if she pushed him, she could cause his condition to worsen. So she had no choice but to wait.

Finally, when he had maintained decent control, JD—while keeping his gaze straight ahead—opened his mouth to speak. "I…." He began "Kim's moving away…."

A raised eyebrow. "who's Kim?" She asked, instantly regretting it when she noticed the agonized look on his face.

"K-Kim….she…." He paused for a moment, trying to pull himself together. "My son….they're moving away—across the country….and I w-won't be able to….

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The Janitor leaned on his mop, studying the girl curiously. "Your name is Jo….right?" He asked. She spun around.

"Actually, it's Denise." She corrected, "and you are….?"

Janitor bowed—mimicking that of theatre performers. "I'm the Janitor." He informed her. "But that's besides the point. See, I don't call out to just anyone."

She blinked. "Really."

"Really. But see, I believe you and I can strike a deal. If you know what I mean."

She paused then "Actually….I don't." The girl confessed. "what are you talking about?"

Janitor sighed. "you like Dorian right? But he's going out with Blond Doctor. So here's what I'm thinking. We work together to pull them apart. That way we both get what we want, right?"

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Come oooooon, Denise!" Katie whined, practically bouncing in place, "I promise I won't tell!!" the other girl mentally kicked herself. She hadn't counted on Katie figuring something out-she thought she was far to conceded for that.

"How do I know you won't say anything? You're not exactly trust worthy you know."

A pout formed itself on the shorter girl's face. "I won't say anything! Really! I swear! In fact…."

"What." Denise shot, as more of a statement than a question. Katie smirked.

"I can help you get his attention! I could teach you to be more feminine! And then he'd totally fall for you!"

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"Turk, are Elliot and I destined to never be together?" JD asked his friend curiously.

"What happened now?" the surgeon asked.

"Nothing it's just….we seem to have to try a little harder than most couples do to stay together."

Turk laughed. Not the answer he'd been expecting. "V-bear, I think that's a sign that you're supposed to be together."

"What?"

Turk continued to chuckle, "Listen—if you guys got along all the time, something would be wrong. You're different people, but you keep dating each other because you really do love each other. Right?"

A pause. "I guess…."

"Doctor Dorian!" A female voice called out "I need your help over here."

JD smiled, "coming Jo!!" He called, patting Turk on the back in thanks before joining his intern. She said nothing when he caught up to her—just nodded at his presence.

She didn't want him to know she'd been listening in to his conversation.

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"You ever think it's weird how Dr. Turk and Dr. Dorian are?" Ed asks, turning to the two girls next to him. Katie nodded, making a face.

"Yeah, it seems a little…."

"Gay?" Ed finished.

"Exactly."

Denise laughed. "I know right? I mean really. They're doctors. They should learn to act a little more…."

Katie scoffed "like you?"

The other blond shrugged. "Well you don't see me acting all touchy feely." The other interns agreed, though she could see their half-heartedness. Of course, if they knew how she really felt, she knew their responses would be slightly different.

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It pissed her off, watching them together. Watching her steal his attention away. "I mean, what the hell is that about?" She alleged, shifting her weight to one foot. One minute he was there for her—the strong, caring mentor that always had her back, and the next this….this….

"Dammit."

"Something wrong?"

She turned, staring face to face with a much older, copper haired woman. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "Jordan. Jordan Sullivan. And you must be…."

"It's Denise." She answered holding out a hand. Jordan took it, a smug expression on her face as she looked hard at the younger woman. "You want JD, right?" She inquired. Denise's eyes widened.

"What me? No I—"

"Sweety, don't even try it. You like him, you want him….and I'm going to help you get him."

No reply.

"Well? What do you say?"

"Um…." She was at a loss for words.

Jordan smirked, "I take that as a yes." She concluded, circling around the intern.

A little hesitantly, Denise replied with a "….okay?"

But that was good enough for Jordan. "Then here's what you do: he's dating Blondie—Elliot—right?"

"….right?"

"Soooo you just need to 'out-do' her! It's simple!"

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Denise growled, watching the new chief of medicine emotionally beat JD. Curling her hand into a fist, she headed in their direction. "Hey Doctor Cox!" She growled, stepping between them, "You wanna tell me why the hell you're picking on JD? You got a bone to pick with him?"

Doctor Cox blinked, taken aback. Behind her, she could hear JD moan—though why she wasn't sure. Finally, the chief's face broke into a smile.

"Well now, newbie." He started, chuckling, "what's _this_? You so tired of me "picking on" you that you went crying to your _boyfriend_ here?"

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Denise growled. "What the hell, JD?!" She barked angrily, thrusting a fist in his face, "you really think you have the right to judge me?!"

A pause. "Yes….actually Jo I think I do—at least about work."

She turned her back on him then. "You're there to give me advice. But I'll do my own thing. Got it?" She wanted to get out of there—run as far away from him as possible. Tough or not, whenever they went at it like this, it tore at her heart. She liked the way they were different—how their opinions didn't always match….but whenever they got truly angry with each other, she couldn't take it.

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"Dammit dammit _dammit_!" Denise screamed, storming down the halls of the ICU. This wasn't happening….it just….it just couldn't be. Not him. Not now.

In a fit of rage, she threw her fist at the wall, using her other hand to shove one of the other interns out into the Janitor. "Get the hell out of my way!" She screamed, quickening her pace as she headed towards the bed at the far side of the room. _His_ bed.

Coming to a halt, she bit her lip, feeling the oncoming tears forming in her eyes. But for once, she didn't care.

After a few minutes and several deep breaths, Denise approached the bed, and the patient lying motionless in it. He looked so pale….so….lifeless….

….she could hardly believe the same man had been her mentor….her friend….

"Doctor Cox….Doctor Cox come on….that can't be it! There has to be something more we can do!"

The chief of medicine sighed, his eyes filled with emotion she didn't even know he had. "I'm sorry, Denise. We've done everything we can. The rest is up to him now." His voice cracked on the word 'now' and without waiting for her reply, Doctor Cox walked off. She watched him go, feeling her eyes water.

"No…." She murmured, turning back to face the man lying in the bed at her left. "….No that can't be it." As she stood there, gazing at the comatose man, a lone tear trickled down her face.

"You can't die on me, JD…." She choked, clutching his cold hand with her own "….you hear me? You have to pull through…."

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The interns had long since gone home. In fact, most of the staff had. But she couldn't. Not now….not when he was on the verge of death.

Pulling her jacket tighter around her, she sat—silently—beside his bed, her heart aching with remorse as she gazed at his still form….

"….mind if I join you?"

She looked up, startled and shocked to see Doctor Cox standing before her, holding two cups of coffee. She nodded, though remained silent, and after handing her a cup, sat down on the chair opposite her.

"It's hard, isn't it?" He said.

Denise nodded. "You know…." began after a moment, keeping her eyes glued to JD's still form as she addressed Doctor Cox, "I never told him how grateful I was for everything he did."

The man opposite her took a sip of his coffee, sympathy in his pale eyes, "neither did I." He admitted, lowering his head.

Denise was taken aback. She knew her mentor held the older man in high regard, but she never knew the feelings were mutual. "So you did care about him." She said, her voice shaky, "then why did you give him such a hard time?"

The older doctor shook his head. "Because much like you, I'm not good at displaying emotions. I never have been. And if that meant calling him a girl's name or constantly giving him grief, then dammit that's what I was going to do. Besides," and here he looked at her "he knew I cared. Even if I would never admit it."

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"J-Jo….?"

"huh?" Denise jumped, having dosed off after a long and grueling night. "Doctor Cox?" She asked, raising her head to the man on the other side of the bed. However, his eyes were still closed, an empty cup of coffee loosely grasped in his hand.

"J-Jo….?"

That voice. It didn't belong to Doctor Cox. Instantly, she looked down, a swell of emotions building in her chest as she stared into the open eyes of JD.

"I don't believe it…." She gasped, tears once again filling her eyes. "You're…."

A faint smile crossed his pallid lips. "Long time no see."

She couldn't help it, the first thing she did was hug him. "Oh, JD…." She cried, clutching him tightly.

He groaned, but—struggling slightly—lifted his own arms and embraced her as well. "I'm okay…." He murmured "it's okay."

Denise didn't care; for the first time since they met a flow of tears spilled from her eyes. He was alive. Alive. "I-I was s-so…." her grip on him tightened. "I thought I was going to lose you…."

She felt a rotating motion on her back, and realized it was his hand, in an effort to comfort her. -"Shhhh." He whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

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**Well, that was fun :D At least, for me.**

**I'm not sure if I got Denise's character right—there aren't a lot (if any) other fics involving the new interns, so writing as them was kind of hard. But enjoyable.**

**I'd love to do another one of these (but shorter) about Katie x Keith. YES it's weird, but she's kind of like Elliot and poor Keith needs some love….more love….**

**Now it's back to "my accident, my son, my fault" (my other Scrubs—angst—story) **

**Hope you enjoyed it! And again, I'd like reviews, but not if they're going to be flames.**


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